Mini Cooper D Clubman....

[upsidedown]

You've rather - in fact, completely - missed my point. Which was that Citroen think that by building something that looks vaguely cute and 2CV like, they're building a new 2CV. Which they aren't, because the old 2CV was more about practicality and economy than anything. Its looks are irrelevant to the job it was designed to do, in contrast to the "new 2CV". In short, there's no reason at all that Citroen can't build a new 2CV that the likes of me approve of, and no reason that it shouldn't be modern and reliable when they do ... but they won't do it by dressing a C3 up in drag and sticking a twat nav and CD player in it.

RT, people don't want cars that do jobs anymore.
Citroen build very good small vans and very good small cars, and i doubt that they're losing much sleep over whether you approve of them or not.

 

[gavintc]

Reportedly the new Fiat 500 is one of the most stolen cars in southern italy. There is such a high demand for it, that the crims can steal to order.

 

[Campfire]

Mini Cooper D Clubman

It's been interesting reading other peoples' mini ownerships. My first mini was a pick-up truck bought for £75 when we needed a cheap car fast. Later on we had a succession of minis between us & they were so much fun to drive.

I'm sticking some pics below plus a real "mini" an Austin A30 that we brought over from the Isle of Man & I used for a few years. We're really into classic cars & Mr Campfire restores them (properly & with great respect!) so doesn't make much money out of it.

The Orange and the Black one were both 1275GTs, & the V regd one was a Ltd Edition one.

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[Mr Pig]

Probably not the 4000+ who have jobs building cars that people actually want to buy.

So what? Lots of people actually want to buy McDonald's. Doesn't mean it's not crap does it?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

RT, people don't want cars that do jobs anymore.
Citroen build very good small vans and very good small cars, and i doubt that they're losing much sleep over whether you approve of them or not.

Still missing the point ... oh, never mind.

 

[TheDoctor]

Probably not the 4000+ who have jobs building cars that people actually want to buy.

So what? Lots of people actually want to buy McDonald's. Doesn't mean it's not crap does it?

I agree with Mr Pig. I'm sure the MINI sells well, but IMHO it's far too expensive for such a small car. The rear legroom is non-existent. The boot is tiny.
Ah, but it's a sporty car, I hear you cry. Is it? Is it, indeed?
Up till 2008, they had a 1600 16-valve engine that knocked out a mighty...89 bhp. That's pathetic. The 1600 Fiat Tipo did better than that 12 years ago.
Horrid, horrid things.

 

[feckless]

I agree with Mr Pig. I'm sure the MINI sells well, but IMHO it's far too expensive for such a small car. The rear legroom is non-existent. The boot is tiny.
Ah, but it's a sporty car, I hear you cry. Is it? Is it, indeed?
Up till 2008, they had a 1600 16-valve engine that knocked out a mighty...89 bhp. That's pathetic. The 1600 Fiat Tipo did better than that 12 years ago.
Horrid, horrid things.

I think you're missing the point of the MINI completely. Sure , the rear legroom is poor and the boot is small. But it was never intended to be a practical, gets-the-family-about-with-minimum-fuss kind of car. It's meant to be fun for one or two people, with a nod in the general direction of practicality. And in that it succeeds really rather well.

As for whether or not it's sporty, it certainly feels so (despite having front wheel drive) and evokes a good chunk of that real Mini feel. Power has little to do with the matter. After all, an MX5 is clearly sporty, but that only develops 115bhp (same as the basic Cooper, for much the same weight).

Power-to-weight is more important (but still not all that significant). The Cooper S offers 146bhp/tonne which, oddly, is exactly the same as the old Porsche 944. Is that not sporty enough for you?

The MINI is expensive, has a plasticky interior and suffers from its association with estate agents, but it's actually bloody good fun to drive. Give it a whirl, you never know, you may enjoy it.

f

 

[twowheelsgood]

The new mini, despite it's looks is to me more a modern MGB GT in concept. Larger 4.cyl engines, it's size and a 2+2 of limited practicality.

And as for knocking the Rover metro, people forget that it had the most advanced engine of any supermini and with the hydrolastic suspension actually developed to what it was originally designed to be had the best ride and handling. The problem was they didn't have enough money to re-engineer the late-1970s vintage bodyshell. That's a real shame, Rover might have still been with us today if they did.

But that's the story of what became of our mainstream motor manufacturing, a tale of so many maybes and nearlys and often near genius usually let down in execution. Read the story of the Triumph Stag for example and weep.

Recommended reading: http://www.aronline.co.uk/

 

[Mr Pig]

Ah, but it's a sporty car, I hear you cry. Is it? Is it, indeed?

Well they're not slow. I remember years ago being behind a BMW Mini Cooper down the Clyde Valley, very twisty and challenging roads. We both passed the car in front of the Mini and took off down the empty roads. My Primera GT was not a slow car and handled really well for its size but the Mini was off. Within a few bends it was gone, and I was trying.

They've actually got quite sophisticated suspension for a car that size, one of the reasons they're not cheap.

 

[GilesM]

How much better is that than watching F1?

Much, hence the reason we go to this each year.
http://www.goodwood.co.uk/site/content/revival/

 

[GilesM]

road legal go carts !!!!!


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq743jZ6L0Y&feature=related

Excellent stuff, driven as they should be.

 

[User482]

Most of the Minis sold in Bristol appear to be owned by estate agents...

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Most of the Minis sold in Bristol appear to be owned by estate agents...

That sounds about right. Some of them even have things like "Property Response Vehicle" written on the sides. Amusing and depressing all in one.

 

[GilesM]

I agree with Mr Pig. I'm sure the MINI sells well, but IMHO it's far too expensive for such a small car. The rear legroom is non-existent. The boot is tiny.
Ah, but it's a sporty car, I hear you cry. Is it? Is it, indeed?
Up till 2008, they had a 1600 16-valve engine that knocked out a mighty...89 bhp. That's pathetic. The 1600 Fiat Tipo did better than that 12 years ago.
Horrid, horrid things.

Not sure about the other models, but the Clubman Cooper S is not exactly slow, 175hp is enough (especially for a front drive car) although I do think it's a bit heavy, but that is an illness that most modern cars suffer from. Leg room in the back isn't too bad, and with the back seats down, 2 mtbs fit in no problem, and it is fun to drive.

 

[User482]

That sounds about right. Some of them even have things like "Property Response Vehicle" written on the sides. Amusing and depressing all in one.

User482 tip: never trust someone with a Mini, shiny cheap suit, premier league footballer's tie knot (which must be the width of your neck) and a tendency to mis-use reflexive pronouns.